Definition and Examples of Diglossia (Sociolinguistics)

Definition and Examples of Diglossia (Sociolinguistics) In sociolinguistics, diglossia is  a situation in which two distinct varieties of a language are spoken within the same speech community. Bilingual diglossia is a type of diglossia in which one language variety  is used for writing and another for speech. When people are bidialectal, they can use two dialects of the same language, based on their surroundings or different contexts where they use one or the other language variety.  The term  diglossia  (from the Greek for  speaking two languages) was first used in English by linguist Charles Ferguson in 1959. Diction Versus Diglossia Diglossia is more involved than just switching between levels of diction in the same language, such as going from slang or texting shortcuts to writing up a formal paper for a class or report for a business. Its more than being able to use a languages  vernacular. Diglossia, in a strict definition, is distinct in that the high version of a language isnt used for ordinary conversation and has no native speakers. Examples include the differences between standard and Egyptian Arabic; Greek; and Haitian Creole.   In the classic diglossic situation, two varieties of a language, such as standard French and Haitian  creole  French, exist alongside each other in a single society, explains author Robert Lane Greene. Each variety has its own fixed functions- one a high, prestigious variety, and one a low, or  colloquial, one. Using the wrong variety in the wrong situation would be socially inappropriate, almost on the level of delivering the BBCs nightly news in broad  Scots. He continues the explanation: Children learn the low variety as a native language; in diglossic cultures, it is the language of home, the family, the streets and marketplaces, friendship, and solidarity. By contrast, the high variety is spoken by few or none as a first language. It must be taught in school. The high variety is used for public speaking, formal lectures  and  higher education, television broadcasts, sermons, liturgies, and writing. (Often the low variety has no written form.) (You Are What You Speak. Delacorte, 2011) Author Ralph W. Fasold takes this last aspect a bit further, explaining that people are taught the high (H) level in school, studying its grammar and rules of usage, which they then apply to the low (L) level as well when speaking. However, he notes, In many diglossic communities, if speakers are asked, they will tell you L has no grammar, and that L speech is the result of the failure to follow the rules of H grammar (Introduction to Sociolinguistics: The Sociolinguistics of Society, Basil Blackwell, 1984). The high language also has more intense grammar- more inflections, tenses, and/or forms than the low version.   Neither is diglossia always as benign as a community that just  happens  to have two languages, one for law and one for chatting personally. Autor Ronald Wardhaugh, in An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, notes, It is used to assert  social  position and to keep people in their place, particularly those at the lower end of the social hierarchy (2006). Different Definition of Diglossia   Other definitions of diglossia dont require the social aspect to be present and just concentrate on the plurality, the different languages for different contexts. For example, Catalan (Barcelona) and Castillian (Spain as a whole) Spanish, dont have a social hierarchy to their usage but are regional. The versions of Spanish have enough overlap that they can be understood by speakers of each but are different languages. The same applies to  Swiss German and standard German; they are regional. In a bit wider definition of diglossia, it can also include  social dialects, even if the languages are not  completely separate, distinct languages. In the United States,  speakers of dialects such as Ebonics (African American Vernacular English, AAVE),  Chicano English  (ChE), and Vietnamese English (VE) also function in a diglossic environment. Some people argue that Ebonics has its own grammar and appears related in lineage to Creole languages spoken by enslaved people of the Deep South (African languages melding with English), but others disagree, saying that its not a separate language but just a dialect.   In this wider definition of diglossia,  the two languages can also borrow words from each other.

BRUNO Surname Meaning and Family History

BRUNO Surname Meaning and Family History From the Italian word for brown, Bruno was often used as a nickname for a person with brown hair, skin, or clothes. From the German  brun, meaning dark or brown. It may also be a habitational surname for individuals who lived in or near a place named Bruno, such as the city of Bruno in Italys Piedmont region. Bruno is the 11th most common surname in Italy. According to WorldNames PublicProfiler it is currently most common throughout southern Italy, in the regions of Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia, and Sicilia. The next part of the world where the Bruno surname is most often found in Argentina, followed by France and Luxembourg. Alternate Surname Spellings:  BRUNI, BRUNA, BRUNAZZI, BRUNELLO, BRUNERI, BRUNONE, BRUNORI Surname Origin:  Italian, Portuguese Famous People with the Bruno Last Name Francesco Fa di Bruno  - Italian priest and mathematicianGiordano Bruno - Italian philosopherDylan Bruno - American actor Where the Bruno Surname Is Most Common The Bruno surname, according to surname distribution information from  Forebears, is most prevalent in Brazil but ranks highest based on the percentage of the population in Italy, where it is the 14th most common surname in the country. Bruno is also a common last name in Argentina. Data from  WorldNames PublicProfiler  also  indicates the Bruno surname is most common in Italy, followed by Argentina, France, Luxembourg, and the United States. Within Italy, Bruno is most common in the southern regions- Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia, Sicilia, Campania, Molise, and Abruzzo, in that order. It is also common in Piemonte and Liguria in the north. Genealogy Resources for the Surname Bruno Meanings of Common Italian Surnames: Uncover the meaning of your Italian last name with this free guide to Italian surname meanings and origins for the most common Italian surnames.The Bruno DNA Project: This group is open to all families with the Bruno surname of all spelling variations from any location in the world. The goal is to join together to use Y-DNA  testing, paper trails, and research to identify other individuals with whom they share a common ancestor.Bruno Family Crest - Its Not What You Think: Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Bruno family crest or coat of arms for the Bruno surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.BRUNO Family Genealogy Forum: This free message board is focused on descendants of Bruno ancestors around the world. Search the forum for posts about your Bruno ancestor s, or join the forum and post your own queries.   FamilySearch - BRUNO Genealogy: Explore over 429,000  results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Bruno surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.BRUNO Surname Mailing List: Free mailing list for researchers of the Bruno surname and its variations includes subscription details and searchable archives of past messages.GeneaNet - Bruno Records: GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Bruno surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries.The Bruno Genealogy and Family Tree Page: Browse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Bruno  surname from the website of Genealogy Today.Ancestry.com: Bruno Surname: Explore over 1.1  million digitized records and database entries, including census records, passenger lists, military records, land deeds , probates, wills and other records for the Bruno surname on the subscription-based website, Ancestry.com. References Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.